Kitchen Floor Replacement Recommendations?

[Thomas J. Clifford]

Hello BP community :)

Ran into a little issue tonight - found that when I "fixed" my fridge's drain pan to stop my freezer from forming huge ice sheets at the bottom of the fridge, I caused some kind of leak. 24 hours later, my wife noticed the warping laminate near the fridge. I have this laminate flooring in our kitchen and all 4 bedrooms.

I've gotten a couple of recommendations to install higher end WATERPROOF vinyl plank, and other recommendations to extend the same type of tile from my living/dining room into the kitchen. Each has pros and cons:

Tile:
The tile in my living/dining area has 18"x18" and 12"x12" tiles in a windmill pattern, but Lowe's no longer carries the 18"x18"...So if we transitioned, it would just be 12"x12"...(I could conceivably do 12"x12" and 6"x6" in windmill) but either way it wouldn't quite match.

Vinyl:
As I understand it - its pretty affordable and very tough. I am concerned that bringing in another type and style of flooring might hurt resale/appraisal value when we eventually move out...

What do you think would be the better way to go? Consistent look of the floors with the tile (albeit different pattern layout) or vinyl that is also very sturdy and cost effective, but wouldn't match the rest of the house? 

I'll add pics for a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Thanks to all!

T.

[Jason Angus]

Real Estate Investor here, and a 30 year Veteran floor covering installer. The vinyl plank is the best invention in flooring since carpet tiles. It is going down in a massive way all across the country. I put thousands of ft down every week in rental properties and complexes and businesses. The best thing I can suggest is use the vinyl plank. And if you cant match it really close, then get something to completely contrast. Trying to match something and failing is far worse. Just my 2 cents